9:00 AM Sunday School
KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE
(Bible Truth and Error)
By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
Main Street Baptist Church, 252 W. State St., Doylestown, Pa 18901; 215-348-8086; jerry@schmoyer.net
(& AN EVALUATION OF ISLAM)
Roy Whetstine purchased a stone "from an amateur collector at an Arizona mineral show for $10,000," according to Newsweek, Nov. 24, 1986. It has since been "valued at as high as $2.28 million" and declared to be the world's largest sapphire.
Western-world Christians have in their possession a precious gem of far greater value which many treat just as cheaply. They fail to avail themselves of the joy such wealth could bring them, fail to share it with their own families, and even fail to carry it with them to the house of God. They leave it lying wherever it happened to be the last time the furniture was dusted under newspapers and magazines. If it were stolen, they probably would not miss it for a month.
There are multitudes in many parts of the world who would gladly give a month's salary, go for days without food, and walk great distances to get one copy of the Bible to share with their entire fellowship. Let's not be too quick to cast aspersions upon the intelligence of the amateur gem collector. Often we are just as bad in attributing the true worth to the Bible.
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF God has revealed Himself to man in a general way in nature (Romans 1; Psalm 19) but in a very specific way in the Bible. The Bible (which means “book” in Greek) is composed of 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament. The Old Testament focuses on the Jews and the law. The New Testament focuses on Jesus and grace.
POSSIBLE & NECESSARY While some doubt God could or would reveal Himself to man, it is entirely possible that God would reach out and contact man in this way. Since He is sovereign He can certainly do this if He so chose. Not only is this possible, it is also necessary, for if God had not contacted man, then man would not know God. Thus a revelation from God, like the Bible, is possible and necessary.
INSPIRATION The Bible claims to be God’s Word (II Tim. 3:16-17; II Peter 1:19-21). Jesus considered and spoke of the Old Testament as inspired by God (Mt. 22:29; 24:37; Mk. 7:13; Lk. 24:44). “Inspiration,” meaning “God-breathed” in Greek, refers to God working through the 40 men who wrote the Bible (over 1500 years) to insure that what they wrote is without error. Without taking away their individual personality and its contributions to their writing, God showed them what to include, what to omit, and made sure all was accurate. God revealed some parts of the Bible, things man wouldn’t have known on their own (creation, Revelation, etc.). Now God illuminates the Bible for us, showing us the truth of His Word as we read it.
MULTIPLE AUTHOR THEORY It isn’t uncommon today to hear someone say that Genesis is composed of material from 5 different writers or that two men wrote Isaiah. That isn’t true. It just undermines inspiration, and makes the books younger than they really were. Thus prophecies in the books can be said to be written after the event. This takes away from the greatness of the Bible. Liberal scholars for years said Daniel had to have been written after the fantastic events described in it, for they could not have been prophesied. The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls has contradicted this. It isn’t surprising that, despite the discovery in 1947, Daniel still hasn’t been released to the public! Scientific study shows the books weren’t written by different authors.
Researchers in Israel, after subjecting the first five books of the Bible to exhaustive computer analysis, came to a different conclusion than expected. The Torah, or Books of Moses, had long been assumed by skeptics to be the work of multiple authors. But Scripture scholar Moshe Katz and computer expert Menachem Wiener of the Israel Institute of Technology analyzed the book's material through sophisticated computer analysis. They discovered an intricate pattern of significant words concealed in the canon, spelled by letters separated at fixed intervals. Mr. Katz says that the statistical possibilities of such patterns happening by chance would be one to three million. The material suggests a single, inspired author -- in fact it could not have been put together by human capabilities at all. Adds Mr. Wiener, "So we need a non- rational explanation. And ours is that the (Torah) was written by God through the hand of Moses."
OLD TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS Some are quick to point out that no Old Testament manuscripts from before the Massoretic text in AD 900 exist, and that leaves open the possibility of errors in transcribing the Bible from generation to generation. The truth is, though, that the Jews were very careful in copying the Bible. They would count each letter in each line, even in each column, total them up, and make sure every letter was exact. If not the whole page would be burned. Also, comparing the Massoretic text with translations in Latin, Greek, Syrian, etc., which have been passed down from generation to generation in their own countries and languages, and which have not been influenced by other translations, show that they all say the same thing. This shows there haven’t been errors from when they were originally translated hundreds and hundreds of years earlier.
Archaeological discoveries are disproving those who question the Bible’s accuracy and supporting its inspiration. A recent archaeological report in the science magazine Discovery contained amazing findings about the Old Testament. Before the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest Hebrew manuscripts dated about AD 900. The Dead Sea Scrolls, in startling agreement with the Masoretic text, dated to about 150 BC. Whole or parts of almost every Old Testament book are present. When these are compared to the Massoretic text over 1,000 years later, they are both the same! Perhaps one word per large document differs, and these are small things like spelling changes (like ‘honor’ for ‘honour’). None affect the meaning of the passages they are in.
There is also the Septuagint (LXX), a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, made in Egypt in 200 BC. It, too, agrees with the other translations and manuscripts. Remember, these all were passed down over hundreds of years, in different parts of the world, without being compared to each other until recently. Yet all say the same thing!
Now archaeologists have discovered a pair of tiny silver scrolls that date back to about 600 BC! While digging at the site of a 5th-century church in Jerusalem, researchers found a Roman legionnaires' cemetery. Exploring still deeper, they found a small burial cave containing the scrolls. Very carefully, less than a hundredth of an inch at a time, the scrolls were unrolled. On each of them appeared an excerpt from the book of Numbers that included the word Jehovah. These scrolls date back to the days before the exile to Babylon, earlier than liberal scholars said Pentateuch was written.
NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS There are many more New Testament manuscripts than Old. There are about 4,000 manuscripts of the New Testament available to use today. The earliest ones date back to the time of contemporaries of Jesus (early 100’s). Excellent manuscripts date from the 300’s. (For more information abut this see # 14 in “18 Reasons From Outside The Bible Proving It Is God’s Word” later in this paper). In addition, there are hundreds of Bible verses quoted by early writers, and these help support the other manuscripts. As with the Old Testament, the New Testament was translated into many other languages (Syriac, Egyptian, Latin, etc.). They also were copied and passed on for hundreds of years without comparison to others, and when recently compared all support each other. There are minor changes (spelling, punctuation, etc.) but nothing that affects any doctrine.
THE CANON The term ‘canon’ is given to the collection of 66 books in our Bible. How do we know the right books were included? Could some uninspired books have been included and/or some inspired ones left out? Again, if it is possible and necessary for God to reach out to man and let His will be known, that it is also possible and necessary that He could make sure the right books are included, and that they come down accurately to us today.
The New Testament canon developed over many years and much prayer. In various locations many godly men found certain books to be helpful and used of God above other books. Gradually the same group was used in many places and in a series of meetings and councils, after much prayer and seeking God’s leading, it was affirmed that the 27 books we have today were the ones God wanted in the New Testament. By comparing them to the books not included one can easily see a big difference in literary style, spiritual value and historical accuracy.
CHAPTERS AND VERSES When originally written, the Bible didn’t have chapters or verses. Chapters were formed by Stephen Langton in 1228 and verses by Robert Stephanus in 1551. These were added to make it easier to find and identify places in the Bible. Because they were added by men, they aren’t always 100% accurate in where they are placed.
ERRORS AND CONTRADICTIONS Some say the Bible has contradictions. It is way beyond the scope of this article to consider each one, but there are well-written books available that consider each seeming contradiction and clearly explain how these passages do not contradict. .
18 REASONS FROM OUTSIDE THE BIBLE PROVING IT IS GOD'S WORD Anyone can write a book and claim that it is from God. Thus to really pin down the authority of the Bible we need to look at supporting evidence from outside the Bible. These are given below:
1. The Bible is theocentric (God-centered), not anthropocentric (man-centered). If man wrote the Bible, he would be the leading character. In the Bible God is sovereign and absolute authority (I Chronicles 29:11; Isaiah 43:7). Man's highest good is submission to His will. The purpose of all we do is for His glory (Revelation 4:11). All other 'holy' books focus on man and build up man, not God.
2. The Bible is monothiestic (one God), not polythiestic (more than one god). 'Scholars' say that man started with many gods and eventually evolved to having just one. The Bible, at the beginning of man, says there was just one. If man were writing the Bible he would have one God evolve out of many. Even the fact that the Jews were worshipping the golden calf and other gods at the time the first commandment was written (which say God was the only god, Exodus 20:1-6) show that even they believed there was more than one God.
3. The fact of the Trinity helps prove man didn't write the Bible. Would natural man write about something that he could not understand, something with no parallel or analogy in nature? No finite mind has ever comprehended how 3 separate persons could form one essence/substance. If man wrote the Bible he would NOT write about a Triune God.
4. If man wrote the Bible, would he say that the world was created from nothing (Hebrews 11:3)? Nothing is a state man has never known. He would come up with some rational explanation, as evolutionists try to do today.
5. If man wrote the Bible would he say his basic nature is evil and sinful (Romans 3:23)? Would man say there was nothing he could do but accept God's cure for sin (Ephesians 2:8-9). Every religion man has developed or 'holy' book man has written has something man must do to earn/deserve removal of sin, but not the Bible.
6. The extent of revelation in the Bible shows it is beyond what man could or would write. How could man write of things beyond his own senses and experiences? Yet the Bible speaks authoritatively about heaven, hell and eternity without hesitation (I Corinthians 2:9-12; II Corinthians 5:8; Luke 16:19; Revelation 19:20-21).
7. If man wrote the Bible, its ethics would be based on individual, relative decisions (Judges 17:6) rather than absolutes. Because man is a child of wrath (Ephesians 2:3) by nature his ethics would be corrupt (as they are today apart from the Bible) and would end in chaos. One example: the Bible tells us to use things (I Cor. 7:31) and love people (Rom. 12:10). Man's ethics are the opposite.
8. It is humanly impossible for 44 authors over a period of 1500 years unknown to each other and from vastly different backgrounds and cultures to arrive at 66 books so internally systematic and consistent as the Bible. It would be like 44 men each tossing a stone on a pile over 1500 years and the finished product being a modern hospital. There must have been one Author behind it all.
9. The fantastic number of fulfilled prophecies in the Bible show that it is no book authored by mere man. Experts in probability give these statistics concerning the following prophecies:
7 prophecies against Tyre in Ezekiel 26:3-4,7-8,12,14,21 coming true: 1 in 7.5 x 107
5 prophecies against Samaria in Hosea 13:16 & Micah 1:6 come true: 1 in 4 x 104
5 prophecies against Gaza & Ashkelon in Amos 1:8, Jer 47:5, Zeph 2:4-7: 1 in 1.2 x 104
3 prophecies against Moab & Ammon in Ezek 25:3-4, Jer 48:47; 49:6: 1 in 103
9 prophecies against Edom in Isa 34:6-15, Jer 49:17-18; Ezek 25:13-14; 35:5-7: 1 in 104
8 prophecies against Babylon in Isa 13:19-22; 14:23; Jer 51:26,43: 1 in 5 x 109
9 prophecies about Jerusalem in Jeremiah 31:38-40: 1 in 8 x 1010
7 prophecies about Palestine in Lev 26:31-33; Ezek 36:33-35: 1 in 2 x 105
9 prophecies about Petra & Edom in Isa 34:6-18; Ezek 25:13-14; 35:5-7:1 in 2 x 105
4 prophecies about Thebes & Memphis in Ezek 30:13-15: 1 in 103
4 prophecies about Nineveh in Nahum 1:8,10; 2:6; 3:10,13,19: 1 in 102
The probability of these 11 prophecies coming true is 1 in 5.76 x 1059! This is almost impossible to visualize. Suppose this number were silver dollars. There would be enough to fill 1028 suns! Or think of it like this. In the universe there are about 2 trillion galaxies, each containing about 100 million stars. From our 5 x 1059 we could make all of the stars in all of the galaxies 2 x 105 times! Only one silver dollar in all of these stands for the chance a writer could have guessed all these prophecies correctly! Even more astounding is the fact that these are only 11 prophecies. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of others which have already come true. (For more information about this see "Evidence That Demands A Verdict" by Josh McDowell).
10. The exceptional literary value of the Bible cannot be attributed to the natural ability of human writers. How could such unlearned men write such a surpassing piece of literary genius beyond their own ability? The Bible far exceeds the intellectual and moral qualifications of other books being written in its time such as the Talmud (Jewish), Apocrypha (Christian) and Koran (Islamic). The living quality of the words, reaching to all ages and social positions of people for century after century show its uniqueness. The Bible is deep enough for the most gifted scholar to spend a lifetime in one small part of it and never get out all there is, but also simple enough for a young child to read and understand. One of the greatest truths expressed is just 7 monosyllables, each 3 letters or less: "You in me and I in you" (John 14:20). The Bible stories are never hurried or cramped, neither are they drawn out and boring. The Bible does not gloss over the sins of its heroes, neither does it overemphasize them. The values and opinions of the writers are not the focus, just their.
11. Another proof for the Bible not being written by man is its enduring freshness. Voltaire said 150 years ago: "Within 100 years the Bible will be obsolete." It has not happened, in fact his home now houses a Bible society! The Bible never grows old. No other book in the world not only invites but sustains a ceaseless re-reading. Other books come and go, but the Bible has remained for thousands of years. It remains a fresh, up-to-date book, not an old book.
12. If man wrote the Bible would he say to further spiritual ends by love & reliance on divine power or by political force? The Inquisition and Crusades in Christianity as well as the history of Islam, Shintoism, Nazism, etc., all show man used political force to spread their beliefs. The Bible commands to do it in a way that is not natural for man, the opposite way.
13. No human scientist has been able to avoid being obsolete in a later time. Science is always changing but the Bible is scientifically infallible in all ages. The Bible spoke accurately of scientific truth thousands of years before man 'discovered' them, while the very writers often believed the opposite of what they were writing. For example, the Bible says the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) yet until recent times doctors bled people to cure them. The Bible says the physical world is basically non-physical in its ultimate essence (Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:16-17), something no human writer could or would have guessed at. The Bible has always said the earth was round (Isaiah 40:22), rotates (Job 38:12,14), has gravity (Job 26:7), and the whole solar system orbits in the universe (Psalm 19:16). Man believed the moon was greater than the earth for many centuries but the Bible says opposite (Genesis 1:16). Even atomic energy and its results is found in II Peter 3:10-12 (the Greek word means to "loose" or "set free" as what happens when atoms are released). The laws of thermodynamics are there, too: #1 (Genesis 2:1-2; Hebrews 4:3,10) and # 2 (Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:10-12; Romans 8:20-22). There are hundreds of other examples, too.
14. The number and accuracy of the ancient manuscripts of the Bible that have come down to us today show God's work in giving and keeping the Bible for us. Of Caesar's "Gallic Wars" we have only 9 manuscripts, the oldest 900 years after the original. Of the "History of Thucydides" and "History of Herodotus" we have only 8 manuscripts each, from 1300 years after they happened. Yet of the Old Testament we have 1,700 manuscripts, the oldest 100 years after the original. The variation percentage between them is one minor difference every 2,000 words! Evidence for the New Testament is even greater: 13,000 manuscripts with the oldest portion 10 years after the original and the variation percentage being only one minor difference every 200,000 words! Manuscripts have come down in many different languages and large portions come to us quoted in the works of hundreds of authors. The recent discover of the Dead Sea Scrolls pushed back the date of the earliest Old Testament manuscripts 1,000 years, yet there was no difference between them later manuscripts.
15. The study of archaeology continues to prove there are no historical inaccuracies in the Bible. William F. Albright, one of the greatest archaeologists ever, said, "The Bible's incredible historical memory has been many times validated by the process of discovery. No archaeological discovery has contradicted a Biblical reference." For many years scholars thought the Bible in error about the Hittites for no trace of that vast and great civilization had ever been found. In recent years, though, much has been found about them, again validating the truth of the Bible.
16. The preservation and regathering of the nation Israel after 2,000 years is proof of the greatness of the Bible. It has never happened, nor was it ever thought possible to happen, for a group of people to survive 2,000 without a homeland yet stay a separate cultural unity. That has happened with the Jews. Where are the Ammonites? Philistines? Hittites? Not only that, but the Jews are now back in their homeland, truly a sociological miracle!
17. The inner testimony of the Holy Spirit inside His people gives us assurance that the Bible is true. He gives us peace and assurance within that the Bible indeed is God's book.
18. The life and resurrection of Jesus also give validity to the Bible. If everything about Him, His deity and His resurrection is true, then the Bible is true. If it is not true the Bible cannot be from God. This will be considered in the next article about the deity of Jesus.
BIBLE: A MIRACLE BOOK
1. It is miraculous in its origin -- coming to us by divine inspiration.
2. It is miraculous in its durability -- outlasting the opposition of its critics and surviving the attempts of its enemies to exterminate it.
3. It is miraculous in its results -- transforming the lives of those who read and believe it.
4. It is miraculous in its harmony -- agreeing in all its parts, even though written over a period of 1600 years by about 40 different authors.
5. It is miraculous in its message -- telling of many occasions when God supernaturally intervened in the affairs of men to accomplish his redemptive purposes.
6. It is miraculous in its preservation -- maintaining its accuracy and reliability down through the centuries.
Yes, the Bible is God's Miracle Book!
If you are cold, let it WARM you,
If you are asleep, let it WAKE you,
If you are a backslider, let it WARN you,
If you are defiled, let it WASH you.
If you are disobedient, let it WHIP you.
If you are uncertain, let it WITNESS to you.
If you are unsaved, let it WIN you.
THEY WHY DOESN’T EVERYONE BELIEVE? If there is this great body of evidence, why do so many deny the Bible as being God's Word? Let me answer that with a story. Many years ago, while on a visit to England, a wealthy man was fascinated by a powerful microscope. Looking through its lens to study crystals and the and the petals of flowers, he was amazed at their beauty and detail. he bought one and took it home. He thoroughly enjoyed using it until one day he examined some food he was planning to eat for dinner. He discovered tiny living creatures were crawling in it. He was especially fond of this food and didn't know what to do. Finally he concluded there was only one way out of this dilemma: he smashed the microscope to pieces. That is what man tries to do to the Bible when it shows up his sin. Like bugs under a rock run from the light when the rock is turned over, so man in sin runs from the light of God's truth about him. That is what many do with the Bible because it reveals their sin. What a privilege we have in owning and reading God’s written message to mankind!
ISLAM By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
Mohammed (570-632) in Mecca, claimed Abraham was the founder, through Ishmael
NAME
Islam (the religion) = in Arabic “escape danger by submission to Allah”
Muslim, Moslem (the people) = those who submit to Allah
Mohammeds = don’t like being called this, say they worship Allah and not Mohammed
AUTHORITY
GOD-INSPIRED BOOKS:
1. Torah (Pentateuch: Genesis through Deuteronomy)
2. Zabur (Psalms of David)
3. Injil (Gospel of Jesus)
4. KORAN - final word, supersedes & overrules all others
114 chapters, scrambled & confused, sayings of Mohammed gathered after death
Contains precepts & laws (religious & civil), admonitions to unbelievers, histories, etc.
Contradicts Bible: Jesus NOT God (Surah 4:171), not die on cross (Surah 4:157)
VIEW of GOD
ALLAH (Only monothiestic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam)
God impersonal (to call Him “Father” is blasphemy), could not beget a Son!
VIEW of the TRINITY
Believing in the Trinity is the unpardonable sin
VIEW of CHRIST
Good teacher only, one of the prophets, will return to preach Islam doctrine until world becomes Muslim
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
No such thing
VIEW of SIN
Work off own sin, no assurance of forgiveness
VIEW of SALVATION
Earn by keeping the 5 pillars
1. Daily recite “There is one God, Allah, and Mohammed is His prophet.”
2. Pray 5 times a day (dawn, midday, midafternoon, right after sunset, 2 hours after sunset)
3. Fasting during days of Ramadan (9th month) during daylight hours; hear or read Koran once
4. Give 25% to poor and needs
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime
VIEW of HEAVEN & HELL
HEAVEN: oasis in the desert where served wonderful meals by wide-eyed virgins
HELL: burning desert where drink boiling water forever
(& AN EVALUATION OF UNITARIANS)
“If we have full employment and growth--if we have cities of gold and alabaster--but our children have not learned to walk in goodness, justice and mercy, then the American experiment, no matter how gilded, will have failed. In modernity, nothing has been more consequential, or more public in its consequences, than large segments of American society privately turning away from God, or considering Him irrelevant, or declaring Him dead. Dostoyevsky reminded us in Brothers Karamazov that ‘if God does not exist, everything is permissible.’ We are now seeing ‘everything.’ And much of it is not good to get used to.” -- William J. Bennett, The Washington Times Pulpit Helps, March 1996, p. 10.
When people discount the fact that there is a God, the repercussions of that affect every area of their life. Without God there are no moral absolutes, no ultimate accountability, nothing beyond ourselves. Man becomes his own God and anything goes. In fact, many deny the existence of God just so they won’t have to be accountable to a higher power or submit to His will. They want to live their own lives the way they want, totally unhindered. They say the idea of ‘God’ is just something emotional cripples use for a crutch to escape reality. Is this so? How can we be sure there is a God? What ‘proof’ do we have that God exists? How can well answer sincere doubters (I Peter 3:15), or still our own unbelief?
NO SCIENTIFIC PROOF In the last article we saw proof that the Bible is indeed God’s inspired Word. The Bible does claim the existence of God (assumes it, never tries to prove it). Still, to use God to prove the Bible and the Bible to prove God is circular reasoning. What proof is there beyond the Bible? First of all, you can’t prove God by a scientific method any more than you can prove Napoleon by the scientific method. Neither can be seen, touched or contacted with our senses. They can’t be put under a microscope to be analyzed. They each are accepted on the basis of dependable evidence. There is rational proof for God, though. We do have much dependable evidence, if we choose to accept it.
1. THE COSMOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Cause & Effect)
Cause: There must be an uncaused cause or necessary being for each effect. No effect can be produced without a cause. When you see a tennis ball lying on the floor you assume (and rightly so) that someone created it and someone placed it there. It didn’t just appear on its own out of nowhere. The same is true of the universe, us, love, hate, etc. -- each of these effects had to have a cause behind it equal to or greater than it.
Motion: If you would see that tennis ball rolling across the floor, you would then assume (and rightly so), that some power outside the ball and greater than it started it moving. The universe is full of motion. Something cannot start and sustain itself. An external agent or force is required. There must be a being who is the ultimate source of all motion.
Interrelationships: Now our tennis balls hang in a large circle by string, each one swinging and hitting the one next to it. The motion keeps going around and around the circle. Each ball is dependent on the others for the system to work. There must be a final being or force who is above these and independent of them to cause it to start. While some evolutionists might have said that the ‘big bang’ caused the motion and interrelationships, this is being less and less accepted as the answer even among atheistic evolutionists.
Perfection: There is a pyramid of beings, from insects to men, in an ever-increasing degree of perfection. There must be a final being who is absolutely perfect, the source of all perfection. This ultimate perfection is the start, not the finish produce, of all else. Things don’t build from less to greater, as the second law of thermodynamics states. It says that everything is winding down (entropy) and points back to a starting time. It shows that things now are moving away from perfection, not toward it as evolutionists would say.
2. THE TELEOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Order & Design) Look at your wrist watch. The order and design there causes you to assume that some intelligent being was behind its creation. If God isn’t behind everything, than ‘chance’ is. If God didn’t create this world, then ‘chance’ did. If God isn’t in control of everything, ‘chance’ is. It takes more faith to believe in chance than in God! What ‘chance’ is there of finding a watch just naturally formed of the materials in ground? What chance is there of the Gettysburg Address resulting from an explosion in a print shop? What chance is there that all the universe and life in it would just come about by chance? What chance is there for a liver, or heart, or reproduction system to just come about by chance (and it would have to be completely formed, for a species could not continue if any of these were only partly evolved)? What are the chances of everything working out so perfectly: gravity, the tilt of the earth, freezing temperature of water, rotation of the earth, proportion of water to land, distance from the sun, etc., just working out? All that is in the universe, the human body, or an individual cell tells us there is order and design. The ‘chance’ of it all happening is too great to even be considered! God created nature to show that He exists (Psalm 19:1).
3. THE ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARGUMENT (Moral) Suppose our tennis balls, or our wrist watch, all of a sudden developed a moral nature when nothing else around it did, what would this signify? Man, and man alone, has a moral nature. All peoples in all times and places have had moral standards of right and wrong. While they haven’t been the same, they have all know there were such standards and that was such a thing as right and wrong (Romans 2:14-15). All people have an innate understanding of these. There is something built into everyone which cries our for justice, for reward for good and punishment for evil. We naturally look forward to a future time when this is so. Where does this come from? Many naturally looks to an afterlife to have these settled. We all know there must be something more to life than existing for one’s self then dying and being buried like a dog or a leaf. A restless is built into man showing there must be something more to life, something from without to live for. All of this points to God. All of this also shows there is a God who built it into all men. Where else could it have come from? How could something like love and hate evolve? If so, why just in man? These strong emotions had to be created be a greater being than man, then passed on to man. They couldn’t come from ‘chance.’
4. THE ONTOLOGICAL ARGUMENT Man everywhere and in all time has naturally known there is a power greater than and outside himself that he has worshipped. Satan usually counterfeited and took the worship, but it is naturally in man to believe God and seek Him. Those today who deny God’s existence often have to shout so loud and long that one wonders if it isn’t the voices inside they are fighting against. When the infidel Robert G. Ingersoll was delivering his lectures against Christ and the Bible, his oratorical ability usually assured him of a large crowd. One night after an inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man's faith in the Savior, he dramatically took out his watch and said, "I'll give God a chance to prove that He exists and is almighty. I challenge Him to strike me dead within 5 minutes!" First there was silence, then people became uneasy. Some left the hall, unable to take the nervous strain of the occasion, and one woman fainted. At the end of the allocated time, the atheist exclaimed derisively, "See! There is no God. I am still very much alive!" After the lecture a young fellow said to a Christian lady, "Well, Ingersoll certainly proved something tonight!" Her reply was memorable. "Yes, he did," she said. "He demonstrated that even the most defiant sinner cannot exhaust the patience of the Lord in just 5 minutes!" Another man added, " As I was coming downtown today, a belligerent little fellow came running out of an alley, daring me to hit him. Do you suppose I actually struck him, just because he challenged me to do so? In the same way, our Lord will not strike everyone dead who defies Him. We should be thankful that in this age He is still operating in grace and desires to show His love rather than His wrath." (Romans 9:22)
5. SUBJECTIVE INNER AWARENESS Inside each one of God’s people there is an inner voice that says “Yes!” when the question of God’s existence comes up. Demons try to flash thoughts of doubt through our mind, but whenever those questions pop up realize it isn’t our minds but Satan’s trick to take away our peace. When a Christian praises God in song or worship or prayer, something inside says “YES!” When we talk to others about Jesus there is that “YES!” in our spirit. When we heard a godly speaker or read a special passage in the Bible the “YES!” is clearly there. That is God’s Spirit confirming the truth of God’s existence (Galatians 4:6).
WHY DOES MAN DENY THE EXISTENCE OF GOD? Man doesn’t want to be accountable to God. Man is basically self-centered and prideful, and like Satan, wants to be independent of God. Man wants to be his or her own God with no other higher power to be accountable to. Thus man must convince himself that there is no God in order to accomplish this. The fact of the matter is that God does exist and will reveal Himself to any and all who are open to seriously seek Him (Heb. 11:6).
ANSWERING DOUBTERS There is no answer for those who aren’t open to consider the possibility of a God. Arguments won’t force anyone to believe something they don’t want to believe. But for serious seekers the above answers should help. Actually, against this evidence it is up to them to prove to you that there is no God. They are going against the majority opinion for all the ages. Point out to them that if they are right and you are wrong, you have not lost anything, for your believe has at least given you a more peaceful and humane existence. But if you are right and they are wrong, then not only is their quality of life in this existence at stake, but so is their eternal destiny. Are they so sure there is no God they that they are willing to bet eternity in hell on it if they are wrong?
SO WHAT? This is more than an academic exercise for us Christians, too. Have you ever thought how your life would be different if there was no God? What if this life was all there was, everything happened by chance, and there was no God (and therefore no Jesus or Bible)? Thinking about this for even a short time should help us feel compassion for those who face life this way, and also cause us to thank and praise God all the more for His existence and His so clearly revealing Himself to us! That is certainly reason to thank and praise Him!
UNITARIANISM By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
ARIUS (300 AD) - condemned by the early church at the Council of Nicea in 325 AD by Nicean Creed
Continued and spread, reaction to Reformation and revivals
Merged with Univeralists in 1959: Universalists (God too good to damn man)
Unitarianism (man too good to be damned)
Humanism and New Age an outgrowth, similar ideas (dignity of man, relative ethics & morals)
NAME
UNITarians - if there is a God, He is one (not 3 as in the Trinity)
AUTHORITY
Bible one among a number of equally good books (by Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, etc.)
Bible is “myths and legends”
No authority of their own, say “believe anything you want.”
VIEW of GOD
Believe anything you want about God. At best He isn’t a person but a force, at worst He doesn’t exist.
40% of Unitarian pastors don’t believe God exists, therefore no prayer, etc.
VIEW of the TRINITY
UNITarians - if there is a God, He is one (not 3 as in the Trinity)
VIEW of CHRIST
Deny His deity, not Lord and God, not Messiah, just a good man like Buddha
No virgin birth, resurrection, atonement, return; just set a good moral example
Not recognized at a Christian group - any way the same (Christianity not superior)
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
No such thing
VIEW of SIN
Man not sinful, only ‘imperfect,’ education key to man’s problems
Man is not condemned, he is essentially good and can save himself by improvement
Ethics relative - whatever you want to do is OK, no absolute right or wrong
VIEW of SALVATION
Character development, good works, “God helps those who help themselves”
Be own Savior, don’t look to ‘God’ for help
‘Salvation by faith’ = repulsive, offensive, unBiblical, immoral
VIEW of HEAVEN & HELL
No heaven, hell - idea repulsive & unacceptable
UNITY By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
Developed from Rosicrucianism (occult) and New Thought (transcendental), Christian Science added
“Word for Today” - Unity Village
Charles Fillmore, 1854, log cabin in Minn, captured by Indians (demonized), into spiritism
Myrtle Page (wife) Christ Science ‘faith healer’ - started Unity
NAME
Unity of soul with God, all life, all religions, all men in truth (Myrtle said Jesus Himself gave her name)
Unity School of Christianity full name - not ‘Christian’ group but use the name (fast-growing!)
AUTHORITY
Writings of Fillmores - not inspired, but ‘best thing available so far’ (truth every changing)
Bible = allegory, search for hidden meaning (OK for those not in direct communion with God)
VIEW of GOD
Panthiestic (God is all, in all), principle, not personality; only exists in man’s consciousness
The love in everyone IS God (doesn’t exist apart from this)
Prayer emphasized greatly: “tapping the free energies of the universe” (TM, metaphysical)
Positive thinking, prosperity thoughts
VIEW of the TRINITY
No personality, no Trinity
VIEW of CHRIST
Not God, only son of God as are all of the rest of us
Perfect man indwelt by Christ-consciousness present in every one of us (we must just cultivate it)
Didn’t die on cross, matured to place where did not need material existence anymore, one with divine
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
The spirit of truth lying latent within everyone, ultimate authority is the ‘spirit of truth’ within
VIEW of SIN
No truth in Satan, evil, sin, sickness, death, etc. -recognition of one’s own deity releases one from these
sin = falling short of demonstrating our divine nature
Overcome ‘sin’ by reprogramming mind to realize there is no such thing!
Similar to Christian Science about sickness - deny it for it doesn’t exist
VIEW of SALVATION
Nothing to be saved from! Just must realize we are part of God
Say over & over: “I am that I am. I am life. I am the Christ. I know no evil. I deny all sin and sickness. I have all power. I am God manifest in the flesh.”
VIEW of HEAVEN & HELL
No heaven, hell (refuse to believe in loss of life/death)
Reincarnation - transmigration of souls, into animals (they are vegetarian)
(& AN EVALUATION OF CONFUCIANISM )
Do you have a big God or a little God? A little girl listened attentively as her father read the family devotions. She seemed awed by her parents' talk of God's limitless power and mercy. "Daddy," she asked, placing her little hands on his knees, "how big is God?" Her father thought for a moment and answered, "Honey, He is always just a little bigger than you need."
How would YOU answer the question about how big God is? Is He bigger than YOUR needs? Do you really believe that? Most people don’t. How are we to show them that we have a God bigger than any of their problems?
GOD AS A PERSON When one accepts the reality that a God exists, the next step is for them to understand that God is a person. To many God is just a force, an energy source, a ‘Mother Nature’ which is an unfeeling power. Thus there is no possibility of a personal relationship or intimacy. How can we explain that not only is there a God, but that He is a person?
First of all, we must understand what personality is. Personality means there is a mind that can think and reason, a free will than can make moral choices, and emotions which can feel. If man has these, where did they come from?
As a Person, God has a mind which to think and reason. That is the creative source behind everything working so perfectly and fitting together so well in the universe, everything from the tiniest atom to a complex human being to the largest galaxy. Such a perfect, intricate system has ‘design’ and ‘intelligence’ written all over it.
As a Person, God has a free will to make choices. Before the creation of the world He chose to make man with a free will, too, despite knowing man would sin and be separated from God eternally. God then chose to come to earth, Himself, in the form of a man, to pay man’s eternal penalty for sin by suffering what we would suffer for all eternity on the cross.
As a Person, God has emotions. God has this built into nature. Music is more than just notes and sounds. They were created to touch a deep spot in man. The beauty of a sunset, the majesty of a waterfall, the awesomeness of the ocean -- all these were created by an emotional Being to evoke emotion in man. Did love and hate just evolve? If so, why so completely in man, but not in animals or trees? Only man can plan ahead in a rational way (not just be natural instinct for survival). Only man knows inside that there must be justice some where, some time. Only man can feel guilt. Only man has sought to find and contact God. All peoples everywhere have had a natural, built-in desire to find and know God. If God is not personal, where does this across-the-board desire for personal contact with Him come from?
THE NON-MORAL ATTRIBUTES OF GOD These are the attributes of God which do not involve moral qualities. They are:
Omnipresence God is all (“omni”) present (“presence”). He is everywhere (Psalm 138:7-12). There is no place He is not. He is in (but not limited to) nature, space, everywhere. There is no place anywhere in the universe, however large or small, where He is not.
Omniscience God has all knowledge. He knows everything (Proverbs 15:3; Jeremiah 23:23-25). There is nothing He doesn’t know. We don’t have to inform or remind Him of anything. He knows the future as thoroughly as the past, our every fleeting thought.
Omnipotence God has all power. He is able to do whatever He wants (Job 42:2). There is nothing He cannot do. He is able to do anything. He is always able to do whatever we need, but He isn’t always willing. Sometimes He knows it would be better for us in the long run as well as for His own glory to not do a thing. He is always able to do anything and everything.
Sovereignty God is the supreme ruler of all (Ephesians 1). He is in sovereign control of that which He created. Since He formed and made everything, both by right and supremacy He can do anything He wants with His creation. He has no limits. He has no one He needs to get permission from before He can act. He is sovereign.
Immutability God is unchangeable (James 1:17). This is a real anchor because it means that God’s love and mercy that is available for us today will always be available. The rules will never change because God Himself will never change. Sometimes His plan changes, but He Himself will never change for He cannot change. Perfection can’t be improved on.
Eternal There is no beginning or end to God (Genesis 21:23). He is free from all succession of time. He created time to serve Him in one small part of His plan, but He is far above time and unaffected by it. To try and squeeze Him into time and look for a beginning or end to Him is ridiculous. Time will be gone, so there can be no end to anything!
THE MORAL ATTRIBUTES OF GOD These do involve moral qualities.
Holiness God is separate from moral evil and sin (Leviticus 11:44-45). He is sinless and unable to sin (in thought or deed). He is absolute perfection.
Righteousness & justice This is how God treats His creation (II Chron. 2:6). God imposes just laws and sanctions. His rewards and punishments are fair and right. We can never cause Him of being unfair or unjust. We may not understand everything from our perspective, but we know that all God does is right.
Truth God’s knowledge, declarations and representations conform to reality (John 17:3). God Himself and all He does is truth, without any error or mistake. He is never wrong.
Goodness God is good. The non-moral attributes can seem hard and cold, but when guided by God’s goodness we know that the very best is being done for us! These include:
Love The part of God’s nature that motivates Him to communicate Himself to man, to get involved with man, to pay for sin for man so man can be pardoned. This is a rational and voluntary affection, not a mere emotional impulse (I John 4:8). It is the motive for all God does for and with His people.
Benevolence This is the affection which He feels and shows to His creatures. It is manifested to us in His care for our welfare (Psalm 154:9). God cannot hate what He made, only what was later added to that creation, which is sin (John 14:5).
Grace God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is goodness manifested to the ill-deserving (which is everyone). Grace is an essential quality of God, but His use of it is optional (Eph. 2:4; James 5:11). All we have is because of His grace (Eph. 2:8-9). God shows grace to everyone in withholding judgment on sin (Ex 34:6) and provision of salvation (I John 2:). For His people His grace is seen in their election and foreordination (Acts 18:27), redemption (Eph. 1:7-8), salvation (Acts 18:27), sanctification (Rom 5:21; Titus 2:11-12), preservation (II Cor 12:9), service (Heb 12:28) and final presentation (I Pt 1:13).
Mercy This is goodness manifested to those who are in misery or distress (also called compassion, pity, loving-kindness). Grace is getting what we don’t deserve from God (goodness), mercy is not getting what we do deserve from God (justice, punishment).
Thus God is a personal God with all the traits we would naturally expect of God: power, control and goodness. With such a God in control there is no reason for fear or worry!
CONFUCIANISM By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
Confucius (Chinese: K’UNG FU-TZU) (551-479), Chinese philosopher
Perhaps person most influential in all China history
NAME
Named after the founder, Confucius
AUTHORITY
Lun Yu (Analects) - principles of his philosophy handed down by disciples
Confucius revered the study of ancient books and classics
VIEW of GOD
Little personal belief in the supernatural by Confucius himself
PRINCIPLES & BELIEFS
More a social and political structure, how people are to live and get along, than a religion
Not a religion, not trying to start a religion - a philosophy of life instead of a religion
Never existed as established religion with church, priesthood, etc.
Confucius seen as great teacher & scholar, never honored as God or claimed deity
Public edifices designed for annual ceremonies, esp. Confucius’ birthday
Followed in China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam, etc.
DISTINGUISHING BELIEFS
Principles & teachings were practical & ethical rather than religious
Saw himself as a restorer of ancient morality, transmitter rather than creator
Focused on five virtues: kindness, uprightness, decorum, wisdom and faithfulness
Reverence for parents, living and dead, very key concept
(& AN EVALUATION OF HARE KRISHNA & UNIFICATION [MOONIES])
Did Jesus really live? Was there REALLY a historical person by the name of Jesus, from Nazareth, who lived in Palestine early in the first century AD? Can you prove it?
JESUS THE MAN There is so much historical proof, in the Bible and by secular historians alive at the time, that no one doubts that Jesus lived as a man. Its a proven historical reality. Ralph Waldo Emerson has said, "The name of Jesus is not so much written as plowed into the history of the world." Was there really a person named Jesus? It’s not even questioned.
JESUS THE GOD However, was this human Jesus also God? Was He divine? That’s where many people, not wanting to admit to any God to whom they are accountable, deny Jesus is God. Still, there is proof, abundant proof, that Jesus is God. Let’s look at some of it.
I. JESUS CLAIMED TO BE GOD Some try to say Jesus never claimed to be God, but that just isn’t true. “Before Abraham was, I Am" (John 8:58) "Father, Glorify me with the glory which I had with You before the world was." John 17:5 "I and the Father are One." John 10:30 He accepted worship as if He were God. He claimed to be able to forgive sin (Mark 2:5). Look at the following list:
Claimed Equality With God Matt. 28:19; John 5:17-18; 12:45; 13:20; 14:1, 9
Claimed Oneness With God Matt 4:7; Luke 4:12; 8:39; John 10:30, 36-38; 17:11, 21-22; 20:28
Claimed To Be Sent By God Jn 4:34; 5:37; 7:16-29; 8:16; 9:4; 11:42; 14:24; 16:28; 17:18,23
Claimed To Be The Son of God Matt 16:17; 22:42-45; Mark 12:35-37; 14:61-62; Luke 20:41; John 9:35-37; 22:69-70 (“Son” does not mean He is inferior to His “Father” but of the same substance, equal in right and position. God is called the ETERNAL Father, thus Jesus the eternal Son. Thus they both always existed. It’s not that the Father came first! This Father-Son reference is just to show family closeness and equality. Reading in inferiority for the Son is way beyond the limits of legitimate interpretation.
Claimed To Be From Heaven John 6:33, 35, 51
Claimed Attributes of God John 8:42; 16:15
Omniscience Matt 11:21-22; Luke 10:13
Omnipresence Matt 18:20; 28:20
Omnipotence Mark 14:61-63; Luke 22:69-70; John 2:19, 10:18; 11:25-27
Forgive sin Mark 2:5,9,10; Luke 5:20-21; 7:48-49
Divine Authority Matt 7:21-23; 28:18
Honor John 5:22-23
Pre-Existence John 8:58; 17:5; 1:1f
LORD, LUNATIC or LIAR Many people try to write Jesus off as just a nice man, a good teacher, a fine example. That could have been if it weren’t for His claims of deity. When someone goes around saying He is God, can forgive sin, and accepting worship as God, then those who would follow Him must deal with these claims. While claiming to be humble, Jesus said over and over He was God. There are only three possibilities, and a good teacher isn’t one of them: LORD: He could be right and really God. LUNATIC: He could be deluded, mixed up mentally, or demonized and really think He is God but be mistaken. LIAR: He could know He isn’t God but just be trying to deceive people. You see, either He is God or He isn’t. If He is then He is much more than just a good teacher, He is Lord. If He isn’t, then He cannot be a good teacher for He is either a lunatic or liar and no matter which not worthy of being followed, for what about Him can really be trusted? Lord, Lunatic or Liar -- which do you say He is?
II. PROOF HE WAS GOD Not only did Jesus claim to be God, but there is abundant proof that His claims were true. Consider there:
A. PROOF FROM REASON For one thing, His character coincided with His claims. When some goofball claims to be God, his character doesn’t agree with the claims. But Jesus lived a sinless, perfect, other-centered life. Even Pilate recognized this (Mt. 27:54).
For another thing, Jesus demonstrated a power over natural forces. Nature responded to His every word: storms, water to wine, fish and bread multiply, even demons submit.
Also, He shows the Creator’s power over sickness, making the lame to walk, dumb to speak, blind to see, and bringing people back to life.
Finally, others felt He was God. Those who knew Him, lived with Him day in and out for 3 years, called Him Lord, Son of God, Father, Master, etc. Even his enemies, who had spies investigating His every action looking for a slip, could find nothing imperfect about Him.
Certainly there is proof from reason that Jesus is God. There is more proof, too:
B. PROOF FROM FULFILLED PROPHECY Old Testament prophecies were all fulfilled, in Jesus Christ and Him only. Here is a partial list of the prophecy and fulfillment.
1. Born of the seed of woman: Gen 3:15; Gal 4:4, Matt. 1:20
2. Born of a virgin: Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1;18,24,25; Lk 1:26-35
3. Son of God: Ps 2:7 (I Chron 17:11-14; II Sam 7:12-16), Mt 3:17; 16:16 (Mk 9:7; Lk 9:35)
4. Seed of Abraham Genesis 22:18 (12:2-3); Matthew 1:1; Gal 3:16
5. Son of Isaac: Genesis 21:12; Lk 3:23,34 (Mt 1:2)
6. Son of Jacob: Num. 24:17 (Gen 35:10-12); Lk 3:23,34 (Mt 1:2; Lk 1:33)
7. Tribe of Judah: Genesis 49:10; Lk 3:23,33 (Mt 1:2; Heb 7:14)
8. Family line of Jesse: Isaiah 11:1, 10; Luke 3:23,32 (Mt 1:6)
9. House of David: Jeremiah 23:5 (II Sam 7:12-16; Ps 132:11); Lk 3:23,31 (Mt 1:1; 9:27)
10. Born at Bethlehem: Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1 (Jn 7:42, Mt 2:4-8; Lk 2:4-7)
11. Presented with gifts: Psalm 72:10 (Isaiah 60:6); Matthew 2:1,11
12. Herod kills children: Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:16
13. His pre-existence: Micah 5:2 (Isa 9:6-7; Ps 102:25); Col 1:17 (Jn 1:1-2; 8:58; Rev 1:17)
14. He shall be called Lord: Psalm 110:1 (Jere 23:6); Luke 2:11; 20:41-44
15. Shall be Immanuel (God With Us): Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; Luke 7:16
16. Shall be a prophet: Deut 18:18; Matthew 21:11 (Luke 7:16; Jn 4:19; 6:14; 7:40)
17. He shall be a priest: Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 3:1; 5:5-6
18. He shall be a judge: Isaiah 33:22; John 5:30; II Timothy 4:1
19. He shall be a king: Psalm 2:6 (Zech. 9:9; Jer 23:5); Matthew 27:37; 21:5 (John 18:33-38)
20. Special anointing of the Holy Spirit: Isaiah 11:2; Matthew 3:16-17; 12:17-21 (Mk 1:10-11)
21. His zeal for God: Psalm 69:9; John 2:15-17
22. Preceded by messenger: Isaiah 40:3; Matthew 3:1-2; 3:3; 11:10
23. Ministry to begin in Galilee: Isaiah 9:1; Matthew 4:12,13,17
24. Ministry of miracles: Isaiah 35:5, 6a; 32:3,4; Matthew 9:32,33,35; 11:4-6 (John 5:5-9)
25. Teacher of parables: Psalm 78:2; Matthew 13:34
26. He was to enter the temple: Malachi 3:1; Matthew 21:12
27. He was to enter Jerusalem on a donkey: Zechariah 9:9; Luke 19:35,36,37a (Mt 21:6-11)
28. "Stone of Stumbling" to the Jews: Psalm 118:22 (Isa 8:14; 28:16); I Peter 2:7 (Rom 9:32-33
29. "Light" to Gentiles: Isaiah 60:3; 49:6; Acts 13:47,48a; 26:23; 28:28
30. Betrayed by a friend: Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14; Matthew 10:4; 26:49-50; Jn 13:21
31. Sold for 30 pieces of silver: Zechariah 11:12; Matthew 26:15; 27:3
32. Money to be thrown in God's house: Zechariah 11:13b; Matthew 27:5a
33. Price given for potter's field: Zechariah 11:13b; Matthew 27:7
34. Forsaken by His disciples: Zechariah 13:7; Mark 14:50 (Mt 26:31; Mk 14:27)
35. Accused by false witnesses: Psalm 35:11; Matthew 26:59-61
36 Dumb before accusers: Isaiah 53:7; Matthew 27:12-19
37. Wounded and bruised: Isaiah 53:5 (Zech 13:6); Matthew 27:26
38. Smitten and spit upon: Isaiah 50:6 (Micah 5:1); Matthew 26:67 (Luke 22:63)
39. Mocked: Psalm 22: 7,8; Matthew 27:31
40. Fell under the cross: Psalm 109:24-25; John 19:17; Luke 23:26; Mt 27:31-32
41. Hands and feet pierced: Psalm 22:16 (Zech 12:10); Luke 23:33 (John 20:25)
42. Crucified with thieves: Isaiah 53:12; Matthew 27:38 (Mk 15:27,28)
43. Made intercession for His persecutors: Isaiah 53:12; Luke 23:34
44. Rejected by His own people: Isaiah 53:3 (Ps 69:8; 118:22); John 7:5,48; 1:11 (Mt 21:42,43)
45. Hated without a cause: Psalm 69:4 (Isa 49:7); John 15:25
46. Friends stood afar off: Psalm 38:11; Luke 23:49 (Mk 15:40; Mt 27:55-56)
47. People shook their heads: Psalm 109:25; 22:7; Matthew 27:39
48. Stared upon: Psalm 22:17; Luke 23:35
49. Garments parted and lots cast: Psalm 22:18; John 19:23-24
50. To suffer thirst: Psalm 69:21; 22:15; John 19:28
51. Gall and vinegar offered Him: Psalm 69:21; Matthew 27:34
52. His forsaken cry: Psalm 22:1; Matthew 26:46
53. Committed Himself to God: Psalm 31:5; Luke 23:46
54. Bones not broken: Psalm 34:20; John 19:33
55. Heart broken: Psalm 22:14; John 19:34
56. His side pierced: Zech 12:10; John 19:34
57. Darkness over the land: Amos 8:9; Matthew 27:45
58. Buried in rich man's tomb: Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57-60
59. Resurrection: Psalm 16:10; 30:3; 41:10; 118:17 (Hosea 6:2); Acts 2:31(Lk 24:46; Mk 16:16)
60. Ascension: Psalm 68:18a; Acts 1:9
61. Seated at right hand of God: Psalm 110:1; Heb. 1:3 (Mk 16:19; Acts 2:34,35)
Note: no one else in history has ever come close to fulfilling even a few of these. No one ever can, since all Jewish records of lineage were destroyed with Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Note also: the probability of just 1 through 8 coming true would be 1 in 10 with 16 0's. (If each chance is a silver dollar and they were laid down side-by-side on state of Texas they would cover whole state 2 foot deep! One is marked, all others not. Blindfold a man and let him walk anywhere, the chance he'd pick right one is the same as first 8 prophecies just happening!
C. PROOF FROM THE RESURRECTION Another line of reasoning deals with the resurrection. It’s quite a claim to say one is going to come back to life, and then to have it claimed to have happened! If Jesus really did come back to life, this alone would prove His deity. If not, He can make no claims of deity. What about the resurrection?
If Jesus didn’t come back to life, how are we to explain the empty tomb? Well, some say the disciples stole His body to make it look like He came back to life. But then how do we explain His 10 appearances to a total of over 500 people? Also, if they knew He didn’t come back to life, where did they get the courage to all of a sudden be willing to die for Him?
OK, others say, it was His enemies who stole the body. That still doesn’t explain His many appearances. Also, when people started thinking He was alive the enemies would have produced the body to prove He wasn’t alive, and they never even tried to do so.
Finally, some say Jesus never died, that He just swooned and then revived. Think about what that means, though. First, He was pronounced dead by experienced Roman executioners, then a sword shoved in His side up into His heart. He was wrapped cocoon-like, head to foot (no way to breathe), covered with 100 pounds of spices, sealed in a dark, damp tomb for 3 days. Somehow He would have to revive, slip out of his wrappings (the Greek says they were undisturbed, like a cocoon after the butterfly leaves), with hands and feet ruined by nails He’d have to move a thousand-pound stone uphill from the inside (no handholds), overpower many Roman soldiers, and travel many miles to Emmaus where He’d convince everyone that He has a glorious, superior, eternal body!
There are just too many proofs to the resurrection to doubt it. He appeared 10 times to 500 witnesses. Without the resurrection being real, would could account for the spread of the early church, the conversion of Paul and millions others, the willing martyrdom of so many? How would the Lord’s Supper have gotten started (why worship the body and blood of a dead person)? Why even bother with baptism, which is a picture of Jesus dying and coming back to life? There is no reason staunch Jews would change their day of worship from Saturday to Sunday unless something really momentous, something greater than the creation of the world (which is what the 7th day celebrates) really happened. Then, too, there is the whole Easter celebration of the resurrection. Why would that have started and continued if people then knew He didn’t arise?
Also, there is external proof of Jesus. Many secular historians recorded what they heard about Jesus and the claims of His followers to have come back to life. Pliny the Younger wrote to the emperor Trajan in 112 about these things. Tactius, a very anti-Christian historian, recorded what was believed and happening. Thallus, another historian, wrote about the resurrection but personally disbelieved it. So did Josephus, a famous Jewish historian of the time period. Since these men didn’t personally believe, but honestly recorded the facts of history, we know they weren’t part of any plot nor did they have any personal gain in recording these things. Obviously the belief in the resurrection of Jesus in the first century was well accepted and well recorded.
One final interesting fact is that Tiberius Caesar, the Roman emperor, obviously heard about the claims of Jesus’ resurrection and the impact it was having in his empire, for he had a marker erected in the Nazareth cemetery (probably because he heard that Jesus of Nazareth arose but didn’t learn that it was in Jerusalem) saying that anyone robbing a grave would be put to death. While none of these alone can prove the resurrection, all of them together do add up!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Without it the believer has no hope for this life or for the life to come. The apostle Paul wrote, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain" (1 Cor. 15:17). Our belief in this great teaching is not based upon some religious feeling or upon an unfounded idea about what may have happened in the past. Nor are we talking about an isolated rumor, but about a historical fact with solid evidence to support it.
In the early part of this century, a group of lawyers met in England to discuss the biblical accounts of Jesus' resurrection. They wanted to see if sufficient information was available to make a case that would hold up in an English court of law. When their study was completed, they published the results of their investigation. They concluded that Christ's resurrection was one of the most well- established facts of history!
In his little book, Countdown, G. B. Hardy has given us some thought-provoking questions about the resurrection. "There are but two essential requirements: 1. Has anyone cheated death and proved it? 2. Is it available to me? Here is the complete record: Confucius' tomb -- occupied. Buddha's tomb -- occupied. Mohammed's tomb -- occupied. Jesus' tomb -- empty! Argue as you will, there is no point in following a loser."
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a reality. Countless changed lives testify that it's a fact -- not a fable!
D. PROOF FROM FULFILLED EXPECTATIONS Let’s look at this important subject from another angle. You know, if God became man, there are certain things you would expect. For example, IF GOD BECAME MAN, THEN YOU WOULD EXPECT HIM TO:
1. Have an unusual entrance into life. What entrance could be more unusual than to be born of a virgin? This is fully attested to by Bible writers as well as early church leaders. Why would someone make up such a preposterous beginning if they wanted to get people to believe and follow them? Unless this was true it wouldn’t be claimed!
2. He without sin. Jesus claimed to be without sin (John 8:46). Those who lived with Him as well as His enemies all attested to this.
3. Manifest the supernatural in the form of miracles. Jesus claimed to be able to do miracles and many claimed to have witnessed them. The Bible (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, peter, Jude) and early church writings all affirm these claims.
4. Have an acute sense of difference from others. Jesus saw Himself as unique, different. Others saw Him that way, too. Even those who didn’t follow Him attest to that: the Koran, Roman and Jewish writers and leaders, and historians and scholars throughout the centuries.
5. Speak the greatest words ever spoken. Jesus said: "My words will not pass away" (Mt. 324:35). Roman officers: "Never a man spoke this way" (John 7:46). He is more quoted by secular teachers and philosophers than anyone else ever.
6. Have a lasting and universal influence. Historians agree Jesus is the most influential life who ever lived on this planet.
7. Satisfy the spiritual hunger in man. These needs were met individually in Matthew, Peter, Nicodemus, Zachaeus, the woman at the well, and millions of others from then to today.
8. Exercise power over death. He claimed to conquer death. He brought back to life a widow’s only son at Nain, the Centurion’s servant and Lazarus. He Himself came back to life.
CONCLUSION If Jesus were not God, then He deserved an Oscar!
Two infidels once sat on a railroad train, discussing the life of Christ. One of them said, "I think an interesting romance could be written about him." The other replied, "and you are just the man to write it. Tear down the prevailing sentiment about His divinity, and paint Him as a man - a man among men." The suggestion was acted upon and the romance written. The man who made the suggestion was Colonel Ingersoll, the noted atheist. The writer was General Lew Wallace, and the book was called "Ben Hur." In the process of constructing the life of Christ, Gen. Wallace found himself facing the greatest life ever lived on earth. The more he studied, the more he was convinced Christ was more than man. Until one day, he was forced to cry, 'Verily, this was the Son of God!"
HARE KIRSHNA By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
Caitanya (incarnation of Krishna) - devotional yoga as a way to worship Kirshna, 16th cent India
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada - to USA in late 1960’s (Greenwich Village)
NAME
ISKCON = International Society of Kirshna Consciousness (Not just a belief system; whole way of life)
AUTHORITY
Any religion all right it if makes sense and gives you peace
Bible accepted, but inferior to Hindu scriptures
VIEW of GOD
Lord Sri Krishna is original personality of the Godhead (Brahma, Siva, etc., just expansions of him)
He is everything and can be present in anything, including images, wood, marble, etc.
Krishna - mischievous, happy, loving God with 16,000 wives
VIEW of the TRINITY
Do not believe in the Trinity
VIEW of CHRIST
Krishna’s son - loved by God but not God
Great spiritual leader but not Savior, just a guru
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
Called Paramatma; it is to Krishna as rays are to the sun
VIEW of SIN
Man not sinful
‘Cleansing’ comes by personal sacrifice & discipline, eating foods sacrificed to gods, etc.
VIEW of SALVATION
Soul trapped in body by previous lifetimes’ actions (Karma)
Reincarnation, thus they are vegetarians
Escape reincarnation’s cycle by chanting Krishna’s name & acknowledging his presence in everyone
Through proper worship of Kirshna, Karma is destroyed & soul is liberated
Life’s main goal is to overcome our ignorance and develop Krishna consciousness by chanting the Hare Krishna (“Hail Krishna”) - ant praise to Krishna 1,728 times a day)
Bypass mind, go into trance-like condition devoid of senses (like TM)
Tithe their time to worship Krishna (2 1/2 hours a day)
Noninvolvement in world affairs & social issues, concerned only with own liberation
VIEW of HEAVEN & HELL
Those very sinful have to undergo different kinds of temporary punishment on different planets
No heaven or hell, cycles of reincarnation
UNIFICATION By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
Sun Myung Moon, born 1920 in Korea
Told by Jesus he would complete work of salvation Jesus failed at when on earth (he is 2nd coming)
Said transported to hell, defeated Satan in battle, both Satan and Jesus bowed & worshipped him
NAME
“Moonies” = names after Moon
“Unification” = unite all religions & people of the world, all saved & perfected, earth restored
AUTHORITY
Bible not God’s Word, not for us; not accurate, just symbolic; quote it to sound ‘Christian’ but are not
Moon final authority, truth revealed to him by visionary chats with Jesus, Moses, Buddha, John Baptist
“Divine Principle” main book, say Moon wrote it but written by Yee Hye Wen, a follower
VIEW of GOD
Dual qualities: spirit and energy; God not omniscient, not omnipotent
Man is visible form of God; God is invisible form of man (God and man are one) [Mysticism]
“Father” they pray to is Moon
VIEW of the TRINITY
No such thing
VIEW of CHRIST
Not God, just a man in whom God dwelt; “Christ” conditional title that must be earned (Moon earned it)
Jesus same as us except without original sin, to start new human race but killed before had children
Satan invaded Jesus’ body, John the Baptist responsible for crucifixion of Jesus (not God’s will)
No physical resurrection or return, Moon is the Second Coming
Not accepted as Christian group by anyone
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
“True Mother” (God is Father, needs mother to give birth to life)
VIEW of SIN
Adam & Eve put in Eden to develop into perfection & form Trinity with God
Failed: Eve sinned (fornication with Satan)
VIEW of SALVATION
WW II paid world’s indemnity for sin, paving way for Messiah (Moon, started ministry in 1946)
1st & 2nd Adam failed, 3rd Adam (Moon) will succeed by starting perfect race with own perfect children
1960 married 2nd wife Hakja Han and now have 8 children
VIEW of HEAVEN & HELL
No eternal hell for anyone; Earth will become heaven when perfect
Big push to recruit disenchanted middle-class whites, isolate & brainwash them
It is said that a certain guide lived in the deserts of Arabia who never lost his way. He carried with him a homing pigeon with a very fine cord attached to one of its legs. When in doubt as to which path to take, he threw the bird into the air. The pigeon quickly strained at the cord to fly in the direction of home, and thus led the guide accurately to his goal. Because of this unique practice he was known as "the dove man." So, too, the Holy Spirit, the heavenly Dove, is willing and able to direct us in the narrow way that leads to the more abundant life if in humble self-denial we submit to His unerring supervision.
There is probably more serious disagreement among Christians today over the Holy Spirit than any other important theological doctrine. Denominations, churches, even families are split over this. Who and what is the Holy Spirit? What is His role today?
SPIRIT OR GHOST? The word used for the third Person of the Trinity is “pneuma” (Greek) which means breath. This pictures Him as an invisible power (“Spirit”), but certainly no “Ghost.” The personal pronoun “He” is always used, never “it.” All His works and attributes also show personality. He is called God (Acts 5:14) and has all the attributes which God has.
WORKS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit is the means and author of the Bible, revealing and inspiring the writers. In the Old Testament He came upon and filled believers at times of special need in their lives and ministry. It is in His power that Jesus ministered and did miracles, for Jesus voluntarily lay aside His divine attributes when He came to earth (Phil. 2:7).
Today He is the One Who restrains sin in general (II Thes. 2:7), convicts unbelievers of sin (John 16:8-9), and seals (guarantee of assurance) believers (II Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13; 4:30). He indwells every believer from the moment of salvation (Jn. 7:37-39; 14:16-17; I Cor. 6:19-20), produces the fruit (good works) in believers (Gal. 5:2-16) and baptizes (identifies) all Christians into the Body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). He guides and directs believers as well as teaching and reminding them of God’s Word (John 14:26). He gives spiritual gifts to each believer and through them ministers to the whole Body (1 Cor 12:4-13).
We are commanded to be filled (controlled) by the Spirit (Eph 5:18) by continually being in total submission to God (Gal 5:16,25) and not allowing any sin or disobedience in our lives (Eph 4:30; I Thes 5:19).
One day a Christian was looking at Niagara Falls with a friend. The friend observed that Niagara Falls was the most neglected power source in the world! “No,” said the Christian, “the Holy Spirit is the most neglected power source in the world!” Are you trying to live the Christian life without God’s Spirit? It can’t be done. Man comes “batteries not included.” The Holy Spirit is our energy source. Without Him we can’t function in the way were created to function. What about you -- are you trying to run without batteries? The power is available, free, just use it!
BAPTISM IN THE SPIRIT, SECOND BLESSING, TONGUES & SUCH MATTERS What a land-mine this subject is! It gets so divisive. I’m sure God hates to see that among His children. I don’t write this to be divisive, but God does require each of us to come to our own conclusions on this matter, based on the Bible. I don’t try to explain how or why others feel led as they do, I don’t in any way judge or condemn them, I only know how God is leading me from His Word. I have thoroughly studied this whole issue with as open a heart as possible, even wishing there were some higher form of spirituality and victory that would take me to a higher plane. Still, I feel totally convinced God is showing me through His Word that these things are not for me nor the people I shepherd. What is happening in Pentecostal and Charismatic circles I do not know. I only know how He leads me.
The Bible teaches that each believer is filled with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (I Cor 10:1ff; 12:3; 6:19; Eph. 4:5; Rom. 5:5). One cannot be saved without the Holy Spirit indwelling them (John 7:37-39; 14:16-17; I Cor 6:19-20). From there on it is not a matter of getting more of the Holy Spirit but of the Holy Spirit getting more of us! As we totally submit and live a holy life He fills and works through us.
Then what about Acts 2, 8, 10 and 19, when the Holy Spirit came on those who were already believers? Acts 2 is a one-time, non-repeatable experience (not even repeated in Acts 8, 10 or 19). Just like the Second Person of the Trinity made a unique, one-time entrance into the world through a virgin in a stable, so the Third Person made His entrance in a unique, one-time way. When Jesus came back to earth after the resurrection to the apostles, Paul or John on Patmos, He never repeated the virgin-in-a-stable entrance. Acts 2, also, is non-repeatable.
Acts 2 is a transition, from Old Testament law when the Holy Spirit only indwelt some believers some times, to New Testament grace, when the Holy Spirit indwells all believers for their whole life. The apostles had already accepted Jesus’ claims and were saved in the old dispensation, then when the new dispensation started and the Spirit came they naturally would be the first to receive Him in that way. That is non-repeatable, too. In Acts 8 we see this same truth applied to half Jews and half Gentiles, in Acts 10 to Gentiles in Palestine, and in Acts 19 to Gentiles outside of Palestine. They were similar to Acts 2 to show that Jews and Gentiles were now equal in the same Body, that the same thing happened to each. Each one showed the changeover from Old Testament law to New Testament grace. There had to be a definite time of change, showing the transfer had been made and those believers accepted. Still, what happened was different enough to show that it wasn’t Acts 2 repeated again. Those were the only times anything even resembling Acts 2 happened in Acts, and it only happened once for each new group as the gospel spread from Jerusalem. All others received the Holy Spirit immediately at salvation.
Tongues is not proof of Spirit baptism. Many received the Holy Spirit but not tongues: 3,000 on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38-41), early church believers (Acts 4:31), Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17), Paul (Acts 9:17-18), John the Baptist (Luke 1:15-16), Jesus (Lk. 3:21-22; 4:1,14,18,21) and many others (Acts 4:8,31; 6:5; 7:55; 11:24; 13:9,52). Speaking in tongues is never mentioned in the leadership qualities in Titus or I Timothy. The Bible makes it clear that obedience is the proof of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling, not tongues (Eph 5:18f).
Tongues in Acts and Corinth were the same. The same Greek word (‘glossa’ meaning ‘tongue, to speak, language’) is always used of known foreign languages and is used in both Acts (2:6-11, etc) and Corinth (I Cor 14:21; 12:10). In Acts is it obvious that the listeners heard known languages spoken by those who had no previous knowledge of the language. There is no indication that what Corinth experienced was different. It is only the church at Corinth that is mentioned as using tongues, and then many corrections were needed because it was a very carnal church (I Cor. 3:1-3).
The purpose of tongues was to show Jews that God’s judgment was on them. They were to spread God’s message to Gentiles but failed. God would show He was judging them for that by bringing His word to them by Gentiles in Gentile languages. This was prophesied in Isa. 28:9-12; 33:19f; Deut 28:49; and Jer 5:15. Paul said tongues fulfilled those prophecies (I Cor 14:21-22). When the Jews didn’t heed this sign and repent, God’s judgment came upon them in 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed. After 70 AD there is no instance of tongues being used in the early church. Signs are placed before what they are to mark, not after! Paul said (I Cor. 13:8-12) that tongues “will be stilled.” The Greek word, ‘pauo,’ is in the middle voice; they will stop by themselves and not start again. History records only a very few, very isolated, very minor outbreak of tongues from Acts to the present. These groups were often heretical in some or all of their other beliefs. Obviously tongues did stop. There is nothing to indicate that they would ever begin again, for their purpose has been fulfilled. When Joel 2 talks about the Holy Spirit coming back after the Tribulation, there is no mention of tongues!
Then what about those with the gift of interpretation? First, the Greek word for this refers to someone who interprets known languages, like from Spanish to German. The use of foreign languages was to show God’s judgment to the Jews present. The content of the message was God’s good news, which the Jews should have been spreading. Since speaking in an unknown language would mean nothing to Gentiles present, Paul said there had to be an interpreter present when the gift was used (I Cor 14:26-28). This was necessary for the weak and immature Corinthian believers (14:20-22) who were ignorant of God’s truth (12:13). It was to be kept to a minimum (14:6-12) because it was an inferior gift (I Cor. 14:4). Paul himself only used his ability to speak in unknown languages in Jewish synagogues, not Jewish services (14:39).
Applying these criteria to tongues today (known foreign language, showing God’s judgment on the Jews, used only with Jews present, sees as a lesser/minor gift whose use was to be kept to a minimum, etc.) shows that what is happening today is different from what happened back then.
Tongues are not a heavenly language. The Greek word makes it clear they are a KNOWN language (Acts 2:6-11; I Cor 14:21; 12:10). This is different than the ‘groanings’ of Romans 8:26 for those are clearly said to be unutterable (not able to be spoken). The “tongues of angels” (I Cor. 13:1) is a hyperbole (overemphasis to make a point) like “faith to move mountains.” Besides, when angels spoke in the Bible, it was always in the known language of those to whom they were speaking.
Tongues are not a private prayer language. All spiritual gifts are given for the sake of others, not the one having the gift (I Cor 12:7, 12f; 14:19,27), that’s why an interpreter had to always be present in Corinth (I Cor 14:26-28). Every time the gift of tongues was given in the Bible it was given to a group, not an individual. It was always used in a group, too, no instance of private use is recorded. The tongue is to be controlled by the speaker, not beyond his control (I Cor. 14:28-33). Plus, tongues were to be a sign to unbelievers, not believers (I Cor 14:22). Jesus Himself warned about praying words we don’t understand (Mt 6:7). Paul said he always understood what he said when he prayed, even in tongues (I Cor 14:15). When asked how to pray Jesus gave the Lord’s Prayer, not tongues.
Dangers of speaking in tongues today. Paul warns about Satan’s ability to counterfeit this (I Cor 12:2-3) as he has in other religions and cults today. Tongues is said to be an inferior gift because it is self-centered (I Cor 14:4) and leads to emphasis being put on emotions which can lead people astray (II Cor 6:11-12; Rom 16:17-18). We are told to pray with understanding (I Cor 14:13-17) and control our spiritual gift (I Cor 14:28-40). God arbitrarily chooses which gifts to give to whom (I Cor 12:7,11,18,28). We are told to not seek any particular gift (I Cor 12:31; 14:1-4). Tongues speaking can become a substitute for spirituality (I Cor 14:26-28). Worse of all, it can produce a false security by those who put faith in it as proof that God loves and accepts them. Most who practice tongues-speaking do not believe in eternal security of salvation, so their speaking in tongues becomes their proof of acceptance by God. Our faith must be in Jesus’ work on the cross, not in our ability to speak in ‘tongues.’ Those without the gift can feel pressured to fit in with the rest of the group.
PENTECOSTALISM By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER - PENTECOSTALISM
MONTANISTS, SHAKERS, ERVINITES and other periodic isolated groups in history practiced tongues
JACOBUS ARMINIUS: reacted against Calvinism and elevated free will, saying salvation could be lost
JOHN WESLEY: followed Arminius, salvation not unconditional, perfection (free from sin) possible
METHODIST & HOLINESS CHURCHES: carried the beliefs of John Wesley
NEGRO HOLINESS CHURCH, Los Angeles, 1906: revival that brought in speaking in tongues
FOUNDER - CHARISMATIC MOVEMENT
EPISCOPALIANS in VAN NUYS, CALIFORNIA: soon spread to Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and all other denominations, even Orthodoxy and Catholicism
Charismatics are less extreme and dogmatic than Pentecostals, less legalistic and emotional
NAME
HOLINESS: John Wesley’s sinless perfection possible, all can be totally ‘holy’
PENTECOSTAL: referring back to Pentecost, which they say is the norm for all Christians today
VIEW of BIBLE, GOD, TRINITY, CHRIST, HEAVEN & HELL
Same as traditional, conservative Christianity from the Reformation to today
VIEW of the HOLY SPIRIT
Much more focus on the Holy Spirit than traditional conservative Christianity
Instead of Holy Spirit a means to an end (being Christlike), He is focused on, worshipped, prayed to
‘Getting more of Holy Spirit’ often emphasized over giving more of self in submission to God
Elevated above God and Jesus, seen as power source to enable person to attain perfection/salvation
VIEW of SIN
Often more legalistic, focusing on certain outer acts of sin
Weaker view of sin, feeling that man can overcome it and live above it
VIEW of SALVATION
SALVATION: by grace, freely accepting the work of Jesus on the cross
SANCTIFICATION: a second act of grace whereby the process of perfectionism begins
Speaking in tongues is the visible proof that this has taken place (“Baptism in the Holy Spirit”)
Often this holiness (or sanctification) is essential to salvation
Also characterized by emotional worship, healing, slain in the spirit, interpretations, prophecies
MAIN GROUPS
PENTECOSTAL DENOMINATIONS & GROUPS
Church of the Nazarene (574,000 members)
Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) (215,000 members)
Church of God in Christ (425,000 members)
Assemblies of God (354,000 members)
Anything with “Full Gospel,” “Pentecostal,” “Holiness,” etc.
CHARISMATIC GROUPS Stay in own denominational or religious group while adding speaking in tongues
(& AN EVALUATION OF JUDAISM TODAY )
Augustine, the distinguished bishop of Hippo in North Africa, was strolling the beaches of the Mediterranean Sea one morning, engaged in deep thought. He was attempting to come to grips with the depths of the doctrine of the Trinity. He was interrupted in his thoughts when he stopped to watch a little fellow running toward the ocean with a bucket. He watched with amusement as the little guy filled his pail with water and hurried back up the beach to pour it into a little hole he had pawed into the sand. Within seconds the sea water soaked into sunbaked, thirsty sand. Then the bishop's eyes followed the little boy down to the ocean again, and then back up to the hole. Once again the little guy poured the water into the hole, and once again the sand swallowed it up greedily. "What are you trying to do?", asked Augustine with a smile. The little boy, a little annoyed at being interrupted in the middle of his busy task, replied, "I'm trying to put the ocean into this hole." Suddenly, it dawned on Augustine that he was behaving much like this little fellow. He was trying to cram the ocean of God's truth into his little box of brains and was having no more success than the little boy with his bucket.
If you are confused about the Trinity, you’re on the right path! That three can be one and one three doesn’t compute mathematically or in our minds, yet both truths are taught in the Bible. There is only one God, but in the unity of the godhead there are three eternal and coequal persons, the same in substance but distinct in subsistence.
GOD IS ONE Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” This has become the motto of Judaism, which sees Christians as having three Gods.
GOD IS THREE While God is one, God is also three. This is called the Trinity. While the word ‘Trinity’ doesn’t appear in the Bible, the truth it conveys does. The most common word for God is “Elohim” which is plural (“im” in Hebrew is like “s” in English). God said “Let US make man...” (Gen 1:26) and “Let US go down...” (Gen 11:7). In the Old Testament it is clear the Angel of the LORD is God, as well as God in heaven (Gen 16:7-13, etc.). Jesus lay aside the use of His divine attributes when He became man (Phil. 2:7) and did all He did as God by the power of the Holy Spirit (Mt 4:1; Lk 2:27; 4:1, 14; 10:21).
The Father is God (John 6:27), the Son is God (Heb. 1:8) and the Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4). There are verses which mention all three persons of the Trinity as equally God: Matt 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and 2 Cor 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. At Jesus’ baptism the Son was baptized, the Father spoke and the Spirit came down like a dove (Mt. 3; Mk 1; Lk 3; Jn 1).
THREE AND ONE? The only solution to this is to believe that God is both three and one. Both are 100% true. Our brains aren’t equipped to understand how both can be true any more than we can understand eternity (time without end) or how God is 100% sovereign yet we are 100% responsible for our free will. There are many programs too complicated for my small home computer to run, there just isn’t enough there to run it. The Trinity is a program too grand to be run by the human brain. Just because we can’t understand it doesn’t negate it. Who are we but tiny specks on a tiny speck (the earth) to think we can understand the Mind of the One who created and runs the whole universe?
JUDAISM By Jerry Schmoyer Copyright Ó 1997
FOUNDER
God, through Abraham, began the Jewish nation
Purpose: 1. Reveal God to the world
2. Give the world a book, the Bible
3. Give the world a Savior, Jesus
Reform (liberal): when Jews emerged from ghetto life in latter 1700’s in western Europe they adjusted their beliefs so they could better integrate into modern society (2 million, 35%)
Orthodox (old traditional): reaction against reform Judaism 1800-1850, start in Europe (-1 million, 14%)
Conservative (compromise): middle ground between reform & orthodox (1850-1900), started in US & Europe (2.5 million, 40%)
NAME
“Jew” after “Judah,” son of Jacob and name of the southern kingdom
AUTHORITY
Reform & Conservative: Old Testament not inspired, just human writings, must adapt them to today
Orthodox: Old Testament, e